Tilting chair

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a device, for rocking a rocking chair, having an elongated support for incorporating on or in a leg-rest of the rocking chair, a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever, and means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage, such as a floor hook, a suction cup on the floor, or a heavy weight, whereby movement of the foot pedal with the foot causes rocking movement of the chair.

United States Patent Lecarpentier Nov. 27, 1973 [5 TILTING CHAIR 1,241,277 9/1917 Prostredny 297/260 [76] Inventor: Louis Jules Desire Lecarpenfier 3,319,270 5/1967 Greiner 5/66 Avenue de Verdun, Embrun (Haute -A1pes) France Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg AttorneyWi11iam Anthony Drucker [22] Filed: Nov. 26, 1971 [21] App]. No.. 202,511 [57] ABS RAC 30 Foreign Application p i Data The invention provides a device, for rocking a rocking Dec. 15, 1970 Francemi 7045507 chair having an elongated Support mcorpommg June 23 1971 France 7122963 on or a leg'rest of the rockmg a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal 52] us. (:1. 297/260, 297/438 mmemem a kmgiwdinal axis Said Pedal 51 Int. Cl. A476 9/12 1 ever being wtatimally as 581 Field of Search 5/66, 105, 108; mute a and means attachment 297/259 260 438 439 the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage, such as a floor hook, a suction cup on the floor, or a [56] References Cited heavy weight, whereby movement of the foot pedal with the foot causes rocking movement of the chair.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Swindler 297/260 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures TILTING CHAIR This invention relates to a device for rocking a chaise-longue.

There is a wide variety of armchairs or chaiseslongues on rockers, covered'by the-general description rocking-chair, whoserockin'g motion is imparted by movements of the body.

In the case of ordinary rocking armchairs, the motion is easily obtained by movements of the users back, which rests almost vertically against the back of the said armchairs.

In the case of rocking chaises-longues, the users back rests against the chair-back in an oblique plane which is often closer to the horizontal than to the vertical.

ln these circumstances, it is obviouslymuch more difficult to impart a rocking motion to' the chairs by'movements of the back since, in this case, it is necessary to change the semi-reclining relaxed position and this disturbance is very unpleasant.

The main object of this invention is a fitting for a rocking chaise-longue enabling the latters rocking motion to be controlled by light pressure with the foot on a'pedal.

The chaise-longue having the present invention is characterised in that it is'fitted' with a device'making it possible to impart a rocking. motion to it, said device consisting of a lever with a pedal mounted pivotally on a supporting axle formed by a partof the frame of the said chair or by a part added on to the said frame and, e.g., by the farthest transversal bar of the leg-rest, the said lever being integral with a tieconnected to a traction point on the floor or to a heavy mass.

This and other features will become clearer from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is aside view of a rocking chaise-longue.

FIG. 2 is a view from above of the end of the leg-rest of the chair, illustrating an example of away of mounting the pedal making-it possible to impart a rocking motion to the said chair.

FIGS. 3 and 4" are details illustrating an example of or hubs of the two lever-arms making up the pedal device.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of another example of embodiment of the device making it possible to impart a rocking motion to the chair.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the device shown in F IG. 5 fixed on to the leg-rest of a chaise-longue.

As shown in FIG. 1, the device of the present invention can with advantage be fitted to folding rocking chaises-longues, but obviously this device can also be fitted on any other kind of rocking chaise-longue or armchair.

As can be seen from the aforementioned figure, the chair basically includes, in the usual way, a back 1, a seat 2 extended by a leg rest 3, adjustable arm rests 4, legs 5, a curved rocking shoe 6 and,'lateral braces 7 connection the leg 5 to the frame of the leg-rest 3.

These various components comprise a tubular frame and are articulated in any known way to enable them to be packed flat.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the device of the invention includes a supporting axle 8 whose ends are bent to form two parallel side-pieces 9.

The side-pieces 9 are mounted so as to be able to slide in the side tubes 10 of the frame of the leg-rest 3, and the said tubes support the canvas 11 held by lacing or otherwise.

A locking device such as a screw 12 which screws into the side tubes 10 enables the side-pieces 9 of the supporting axle 8 to be fixed, and their position can thus easily be adjusted.

A further point is that the side-pieces 9 comprise a downward bend near the supporting axle 8, designed to lower the position of the said supporting axle in relation to the plane of the leg-rest.

A pedal 13, whose pivotal movements are integral with a lever 14, is articulated on the supporting axle 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pedal 13 and the lever 14 can be made in two parts and fitted with means for coupling them rotationally. This form of construction enables the pedal and the lever to be folded back substantially in the same plane, when the chair is folded.

The facing surfaces of the head or hub 15 of the pedal 13 and the head or hub 16 of the lever 14 comprise complementary means of coupling such as pins 18 fitting into holes 17.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show another arrangement of the coordinating surfaces of the heads or hubs of the pedal 13 and the lever 14. In this case, the hub 15 of' the pedal 13 comprises two diametrically opposed teeth 19 which fit into two diametrically opposed slots 20 in the corresponding surface of the hub 16 of the lever 14.

The pedal 13 and the lever 14 are mounted between two stops 21 integral with the supporting axle 8.

A spring 22 inserted between one of the stops 21 and the pedal 13 or the lever 14 serves to keep these two components permanently together.

-be removably mounted on the frame of the leg-rest.

It includes a bar 25 one end of which comprises a fixing claw 26, e.g. curved in accordance with the profile of the side-pieces of the frame 27 of the leg-rest. The opposite end of the bar 25 is, e.g., integral with a sleeve 28 in which a rod 29 slides, the projecting end of which is shaped in the same way as the claw 26. A spring 30 inserted between the inside end of the sleeve 28 and a stop 31 integral with the rod 29 has the efiect of permanently pulling the claw formed at the end of the said rod towards the middle part of the bar 25.

The bar 25 is in addition integral with two plummet blocks 32 in which an axle 33 is limited in its longitudinal movement by means of stops 34 integral with the said axle.

The axle 33 bears a pedal 35. This pedal 35 may be articulated perpendicularly to the axle 33, on a yoke 36 integral with the said axle.

A lever 37 is also mounted on the axle 33, e.g. out side the claw 26.

This lever may be movably positioned and, in this case, it is e.g. fitted with a means of locking such as a screw 38. In a variational embodiment, it may also be articulated perpendicularly to the axle 33.

It is obvious that this device may instantaneously be fitted on various types of existing rocking chaiseslongues, in view of the flexibility of the distance between the claws 26 and 29.

The said claws 26 and 29 may in addition he fitted with supplementary means of locking (not shown) on the frame 27 of the leg-rest.

As before, the end of the lever 37 is integral with a tie or connection 39 fixed to a floor anchorage point 40, to a mass, or to a suction-disc.

It is obvious that when the user is settled in the rocking chaise-longue described, mere foot pressure on the pedal (13 or 35) is enough to move the lever (14 or 37), which exerts a pull on the tie (23 or 39) fixed to the floor, the effect of which is to draw the leg-rest towards the floor. Releasing the pedal gives sufficient impulse to rock the chair. This rocking may be controlled and stopped at any time by foot pressure on the pedal.

1 claim:

1. A device, for rocking a rocking chair, comprising:

i. an elongated support,

ii. means for mounting said support on a leg-rest of a rocking chair, said mounting means including:

a. a first gripping claw at one end of said support b. a second gripping claw mounted at the other end of said support 0. spring loading means acting between said second gripping claw and the support for urging the second gripping claw towards the first gripping claw,

iii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever,

iv. means for the attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.

2. A device, for rocking a rocking chair, comprising: i. an elongated support for incorporating on a leg-rest of a rocking chair,

ii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis,

iii. a releasable clutch means serving for rotational coupling of said foot pedal and lever arm, whereby said foot pedal and lever arm constitute a two-arm lever,

iv. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.

3. In combination, a rocking chair including a legrest, and a rocking device comprising:

i. an alongated support incorporated on said leg-rest,

ii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever iii. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.

4. in combination, a rocking chair including a leg-rest having parallel side tubes, and a rocking device comprising:

i. an elongated support ii. parallel side pieces secured one at each of said support and engaged in said parallel side tubes to incorporate said support on said leg-rest iii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever,

iv. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage. 

1. A device, for rocking a rocking chair, comprising: i. an elongated support, ii. means for mounting said support on a leg-rest of a rocking chair, said mounting means including: a. a first gripping claw at one end of said support b. a second gripping claw mounted at the other end of said support c. spring loading means acting between said second gripping claw and the support for urging the second gripping claw towards the first gripping claw, iii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a twoarm lever, iv. means for the attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.
 2. A device, for rocking a rocking chair, comprising: i. an elongated support for incorporating on a leg-rest of a rocking chair, ii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, iii. a releasable clutch means serving for rotational coupling of said foot pedal and lever arm, whereby said foot pedal and lever arm constitute a two-arm lever, iv. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.
 3. In combination, a rocking chair including a leg-rest, and a rocking device comprising: i. an alongated support incorporated on said leg-rest, ii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever iii. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage.
 4. In combination, a rocking chair including a leg-rest having parallel side tubes, and a rocking device comprising: i. an elongated support ii. parallel side pieces secured one at each of said support and engaged in said parallel side tubes to incorporate said support on said leg-rest iii. a foot pedal and a lever arm mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis, said foot pedal and lever arm being coupled rotationally so as to constitute a two-arm lever, iv. means for attachment of the free end of said lever arm to a fixed anchorage. 